1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for arranging a sleeve-like foil envelope around an object, comprising supply means for supplying said sleeve-like foil envelope around at least one spreading element, as well as discharge means for discharging the sleeve-like foil envelope from the device and arranging it around the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a device is disclosed in, for example, European patent application No. 0 109 105. In said device, the foil envelope has been pre-produced in the form of a continuous strip, which is wound on a supply reel and which is to be cut to the correct length by means of a device according to the introductory paragraph. The individual flat sleeve-like foil envelopes must subsequently be opened by means of a spreading element and be placed around an object, such as a bottle or a container, with some oversize.
The foil material is made of a so-called shrink material, which shrinks as a result of heat being applied and which forms with a close fit to the shape of the bottle or container around which the sleeve-like envelope has been arranged.
A drawback of the known devices is that they are only suitable for processing thick or stiff foil materials if a high processing rate is to be realised. When thinner or more flexible foil materials are used, the processing rate must be reduced in order to prevent undesirable jamming of the device. The fact is that it has been found that in particular thin, flexible foil materials exhibit a tendency to return to their flat condition before they have been effectively arranged around the container. The device will clog up and jam in such situations, which is undesirable.
The device according to EP 0 109 105 A1 furthermore requires a significant amount of installation space, because the discharge means are positioned beside the spreading element on either side thereof. Because of this, existing devices are less suitable for use as a multiple variant, in which several spreading elements are disposed side by side in the device, and several envelopes can be arranged around objects simultaneously (or in succession).
The object of the invention is to obviate these drawbacks and in order to accomplish that object, the discharge means are disposed within said at least one spreading element. Not only does this lead to a significant reduction of the required amount of installation space, but it also makes it possible to operate the device at a higher speed and, above all, as a multiple device.